Floor covering, floor element and method for manufacturing floor elements

Abstract

Floor covering, made of floor elements, which, at least at two opposite sides, comprise a male and a female coupling part, which allow that two of such floor elements can be interconnected at the respective sides at the respective sides by pushing one of these floor elements with the associated male coupling part, by means of a downward movement, home into the female coupling part of the other floor element, wherein at least one of said coupling parts, either the male coupling part or the female coupling part, is made as least partially in a filled synthetic material composite, such as extruded wood.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A floor element comprising a substrate and a top layer, the substrate comprising a filled synthetic material composite containing a matrix formed by a synthetic material, and a filling material,
 wherein the floor element comprises first coupling parts at a first pair of opposite sides and second coupling parts at a second pair of opposite sides, 
 wherein the second coupling parts are made as a second male coupling part and a second female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions effecting a locking in vertical direction when the second coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, and also with horizontally active locking portions effecting a locking in horizontal direction when the second coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, 
 wherein the second coupling parts are configured so as to allow interconnecting two of such floor elements at the second pair of sides by providing one of these floor elements with the associated second male coupling part, by a turning movement, in the second female coupling part of the other floor element, 
 wherein the first coupling parts are performed as a first male coupling part and a first female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions effecting a locking in vertical direction when the first coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, and also with horizontally active locking portions effecting a locking in horizontal direction when the first coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, 
 wherein the first coupling parts are configured so as to allow connecting two of such floor elements to each other at the first pair of sides by pushing one of these floor elements with the associated first male coupling part, by a downward movement, automatically obtained as a result of said turning movement at the second pair of sides, home into the first female coupling part of the other floor element, 
 wherein the substrate forms both sides of said first pair of sides, such that both of the first coupling parts including the first male coupling part and the first female coupling part, are at least made of said filled synthetic material composite, 
 wherein the filled synthetic material composite has a synthetic material to filling material ratio of lower than 50:50, and 
 wherein the filling material comprises an inorganic filling material. 
 
     
     
       2. The floor element of  claim 1 , wherein both of the first coupling parts including the first male coupling part and the first female coupling part, are made entirely of the filled synthetic material composite. 
     
     
       3. The floor element of  claim 1 , wherein the synthetic material comprises a thermoplastic material. 
     
     
       4. The floor element of  claim 1 , wherein the synthetic material comprises polyethylene, polypropylene or polyvinylchloride. 
     
     
       5. The floor element of  claim 1 , wherein the filled synthetic material composite comprises at least two zones of different composition in respect of elasticity. 
     
     
       6. The floor element of  claim 5 , wherein said at least two zones are obtained by co-extrusion. 
     
     
       7. The floor element of  claim 1 , wherein the top layer comprises a decorative film. 
     
     
       8. The floor element of  claim 1 , wherein the floor element comprises a backing layer. 
     
     
       9. The floor element of  claim 1 , wherein the floor element comprises a backing layer. 
     
     
       10. A floor element comprising a substrate and a top layer, the substrate comprising a filled synthetic material composite containing a matrix formed by a synthetic material, and a filling material, and the top layer comprising a decorative film,
 wherein the floor element comprises first coupling parts at a first pair of opposite sides and second coupling parts at a second pair of opposite sides, 
 wherein the second coupling parts are made as a second male coupling part and a second female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions effecting a locking in vertical direction when the second coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, and also with horizontally active locking portions effecting a locking in horizontal direction when the second coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, 
 wherein the second coupling parts are configured so as to allow interconnecting two of such floor elements at the second pair of sides by providing one of these floor elements with the associated second male coupling part, by a turning movement, in the second female coupling part of the other floor element, 
 wherein the first coupling parts are performed as a first male coupling part and a first female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions effecting a locking in vertical direction when the first coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, and also with horizontally active locking portions effecting a locking in horizontal direction when the first coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, 
 wherein the first coupling parts are configured so as to allow connecting two of such floor elements to each other at the first pair of sides by pushing one of these floor elements with the associated first male coupling part, by a downward movement, automatically obtained as a result of said turning movement at the second pair of sides, home into the first female coupling part of the other floor element, 
 wherein the substrate forms both sides of said first pair of sides, such that both of the first coupling parts including the first male coupling part and the first female coupling part, are at least made of said filled synthetic material composite, 
 wherein the filled synthetic material composite has a synthetic material to filling material ratio of lower than 50:50, and 
 wherein the synthetic material comprises polyvinylchloride and the filling material comprises an inorganic filling material. 
 
     
     
       11. The floor element of  claim 10 , wherein both of the first coupling parts including the first male coupling part and the first female coupling part, are made entirely of the filled synthetic material composite. 
     
     
       12. The floor element of  claim 10 , wherein the filled synthetic material composite comprises at least two zones of different composition in respect of elasticity. 
     
     
       13. The floor element of  claim 12 , wherein said at least two zones are obtained by co-extrusion. 
     
     
       14. A floor element comprising a substrate and a top layer, the substrate comprising a filled synthetic material composite containing a matrix formed by a synthetic material, and a filling material,
 wherein the floor element comprises first coupling parts at a first pair of opposite sides and second coupling parts at a second pair of opposite sides, 
 wherein the second coupling parts are made as a second male coupling part and a second female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions effecting a locking in vertical direction when the second coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, and also with horizontally active locking portions effecting a locking in horizontal direction when the second coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, 
 wherein the second coupling parts are configured so as to allow interconnecting two of such floor elements at the second pair of sides by providing one of these floor elements with the associated second male coupling part, by a turning movement, in the second female coupling part of the other floor element, 
 wherein the first coupling parts are performed as a first male coupling part and a first female coupling part, which are provided with vertically active locking portions effecting a locking in vertical direction when the first coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, and also with horizontally active locking portions effecting a locking in horizontal direction when the first coupling parts of two of such floor elements cooperate with each other, 
 wherein the first coupling parts are configured so as to allow connecting two of such floor elements to each other at the first pair of sides by pushing one of these floor elements with the associated first male coupling part, by a downward movement, automatically obtained as a result of said turning movement at the second pair of sides, home into the first female coupling part of the other floor element, 
 wherein the substrate forms both sides of said first pair of sides, such that both of the first coupling parts including the first male coupling part and the second female coupling part, are at least made of said filled synthetic material composite, 
 wherein the filled synthetic material composite has a synthetic material to filling material ratio of lower than 50:50, 
 wherein the filling material comprises an inorganic filling material, and 
 wherein the filled synthetic material composite comprises at least two zones of different composition in respect of elasticity. 
 
     
     
       15. The floor element of  claim 14 , wherein both of the first coupling parts including the first male coupling part and the first female coupling part, are made entirely of the filled synthetic material composite. 
     
     
       16. The floor element of  claim 14 , wherein the synthetic material comprises a thermoplastic material. 
     
     
       17. The floor element of  claim 14 , wherein the synthetic material comprises polyethylene, polypropylene or polyvinylchloride. 
     
     
       18. The floor element of  claim 14 , wherein said at least two zones are obtained by co extrusion. 
     
     
       19. The floor element of  claim 14 , wherein the top layer comprises a decorative film. 
     
     
       20. The floor element of  claim 14 , wherein the floor element comprises a backing layer.